Ealing could be set for a new respite centre after the council said it had listened to campaigners upset with the closure of Heller House .

Labour councillor Binda Rai said Ealing Council is considering a new respite facility after liaising with campaigners, and is set to examine proposals at a cabinet meeting on November 15.

Parents were left heartbroken in February this year when councillors voted to close Southall's Heller House, which provided short breaks for young people in the borough with complex disabilities.

Councillors claimed the building was not fit for purpose and opted for a "spot-purchase system" with contracts given to providers, in some cases outside of Ealing.

But parents, who were offered care as far as Croydon , urged the council to build a new centre through a petition currently almost 7,000 signatures strong.

Now the council, which in February said it would look into ways of opening a new centre, has confirmed it will consider proposals for a new centre next month.

'We've listened to parents'

Cllr Rai said: "We’ve listened to parents and have taken what they have said on board as part of our review process.

"We are very grateful for their input and will consider proposals to create new, high-quality respite facilities in the borough at next month’s cabinet meeting."

Ealing North MP Stephen Pound, who attended the meeting, dubbed a potential new respite centre as the "daughter of Heller House".

And Ealing resident Siobhan Bryar, who organised the petition pushing for a new care centre, said: "It is fantastic news and the result is the right one."

Heller House was closed in July this year, and was being used by nine young people shortly before its doors were shut.

Shahida Chaudhry, whose daughter Iqra had used Heller House for three years, was instead offered respite in Brent which she says is approximately 50 minutes away from her home in Hanwell .

The council currently arranges transport for her daughter - who suffers from microcephaly, a disorder that affects the development of the brain - to travel to the respite service.

'It is justice for our children'

But Ms Chaudhry said she was pleased the council is considering a new respite centre, which would potentially reduce travel times if built in the borough.

She added: "That would be absolutely brilliant [a new respite centre], it would mean Iqra does not have to go as far and for the other children because it would be in the borough.

"For one, in emergencies we [parents] could get there much quicker and we will always be around the corner.

"It can take up to one hour to get to Brent and she's tired when she gets there."

Jacqueline Swords, whose autistic son Ciaran suffers from severe learning disabilities and uses the home, said: "Heller House made the difference between coping and not coping, I think it is common sense and it is justice for our children."